Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Covenant relationships

Our commitment to others. Many of us wonder how to live under the umbrella of God's favor and blessings. I love God; and being in a relationship with Him is extravagant for me in and of itself, but I to have wondered how to live under the umbrella of God's favor and blessings. Don't get me wrong, I have a good life right now. But something in me says there is more. More peace, more joy, more abundance. Recently the word I heard in my spirit is "covenant". I have heard it before. God functions within covenants that He makes between Himself and His people. A covenant is like "a promise". It's like an agreement between 2 or more parties. Many times we think we can earn God's blessings by doing good. But that is not how God operates. I find that in the current climate of our culture, relationships are becoming of very little importance. People don't nurture and build relationships anymore. The texting, facebook, and other forms of technology and social media break down the fabric of what it takes to build real, lasting relationships. With that being said, the obvious consequence is not really understanding what it means to build a relationship with God. Understanding that all God's blessings come through a relationship with Him that is based on His promises. As I reflect on the book of Ruth and what Ruth said to Naomi when Naomi was starting her journey back to her home. The words that Ruth spoke to Naomi where covenant words, they are similar to what God has said in the covenant He made with His people in the Old Testament. Ruth committed to a relationship with Naomi; to dwell with her and join with her people, and make Naomi's God her God. This was a lifetime commitment Ruth made and God blessed her abundantly because of her covenant with Naomi. With divorce rates sky high in our culture, it's obvious that we are no longer a people built on covenant type relationships. Because of this, there is much turmoil in our world today and in our families. But as believers, I think it's a great time to examine the relationships around us and our relationship with God. Personally I am praying that I can live a relationship/covenant based life. Lord help me and all who want to go in this direction, in Jesus name.